The five-kilometre upgrade of Richmond Road in the northwest of Sydney has opened four years ahead of schedule.
New South Wales Premier, Mike Baird, Minister for Roads, Duncan Gay, and MPs Dominic Perrottet, Kevin Conolly and Ray Williams opened the final stage of the $135 million upgrade, which has doubled capacity and improved safety on the key arterial road.
“We wanted to deliver this road as quickly as possible for the local community, which is why it was one of the first projects to be fast-tracked under our Housing Acceleration Fund,” Mr Baird said.
“We are planning for the future, undertaking these road upgrades well before new residents and businesses move in.
“Families moving into this fast-growing region deserve infrastructure that makes their lives as easy possible, which is why I’m delighted we’ve been able to deliver this project four years ahead of schedule.”
Mr Gay said Richmond Road was a vital connector between new employment and housing lands at Marsden Park with the M7.
“Richmond Road used to be a single lane in each direction so this upgrade was absolutely essential to support Sydney’s newest suburbs where more than 70,000 new homes will be built in Schofields, Riverstone and Marsden Park,” Mr Gay said.
“The $340 million Schofields Road upgrade is also under construction and due for completion in mid-2018 – supporting the development of about 10,000 local jobs.”
Richmond Road has been widened from two lanes to a four-lane divided road with a central median and provision for six lanes if required in the future.
Other features include off-road shared paths to increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists, upgraded intersections with new traffic lights and the realignment of the Garfield Road West intersection.
The upgrade has been completed on budget in two stages over three-and-a-half years. The final stage involved the upgrade between Townson Road and Elara Boulevarde.
